Collapsible paperboard spool



Sept. 17, 1963 e. E. STRUBLE 3,104,077

COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD SPOOL Filed Oct. 25, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. GLENN E. Smuaus,

8 8 150.7 fl ffl ATTORN EYS.

Sept- 1963 G. E. STRUBLE COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD SPOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1960 IN V EN TOR. GLENN E. STRuBLE,

ATTORNEYS.

P 1963 G. E. STRUBLE 3,104,077 7 COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD SPOOL Filed Oct. 25, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. GLENN E STRUBLE,

ATTORN EYS.

United States Patent 3,104,077 COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD SPOOL Glenn E. Struble, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor to Diamond National Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 25, 1969, Ser. No. 64,836 11 Claims. (Cl. 242-118.8)

This invention has to do with spools and relates more particularly to collapsible paperboard spools such as are employed to package ribbon and similar strand material.

A principal object of the instant invention is to provide paperboard spool structures which can be manufactured on standard folding paper box equipment, the spools being manufactured from die cut one-piece blanks.

A further object of the instant invention is the provision of collapsible paperboard spools which can be folded and glued on standard folding and gluing equipment, shipped to the user in fiat collapsed form, and stored in such form, thereby effecting material savings in both storage and shipping space.

Still a further object of the instant invention is the provision of collapsible paperboard spools which are provided with cut-outs on either end so that the thickness of the ribbon wound on the spool will be readily visible, the cut-outs additionally serving to define flats effective to prevent uncontrolled rolling of the spools during use.

Yet a further object of the instant invention is the provision of collapsible spool structures in which perfect alignment of front and back printing may be obtained, thereby providing a neater and more attractive package.

Still another object of the instant invention is the provision of collapsible paperboard spool structures which may be readily set-up by the ribbon manufacturer and easily wrapped with the desired quantity of ribbon or the like.

The foregoing together with other objects of the invention which will appear hereinafter or which will be apparent to the skilled Worker in the art upon reading these specifications are accomplished by those constructions and arrangement of parts of which certain exemplary embodiments shall now be described, reference now being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one form of spool blank in accordance with the instant invention.

FIGURES 2 and 3 are plan views similar to FIG- URE 1 illustrating successive steps in the folding and gluing of the spool blank.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the fiat folded blank of FIGURE 1 in condition for shipment or storage.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the erected structure assembled for use.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a blank for an alternate form of spool structure.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the spool of FIGURE 6 in assembled condition.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 83 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of another form of spool blank.

FIGURES 10 and 11 are plan Views similar to FIG- URE 9 illustrating successive steps in the folding and gluing of the blank of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 12 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIGURE 11 in erected condition.

FIGURE 13 is a plan view of another form of blank similar to FIGURE 9 but containing additional flap members.

FIGURE 14 is a side elevational view of the blank of FIGURE 13 in erected condition.

Patented Sept. 17, 1963 FIGURE 15 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 15-45 of FIGURE 14.

FIGURE 16 is a plan View of still another form of spool blank.

FIGURES 17 and 18 are plan views illustrating successive stages in the folding and gluing of the blank of FIGURE 16.

FIGURE 19 is a plan view of yet another form of spool blank.

FIGURES 20 and 21 illustrate successive stages in the folding and gluing of the blank of FIGURE 19.

While the instant invention may take a number of different forms, all of the embodiments are characterized by a one-piece blank composed of articulated parts which are capable of being folded and glued at relatively high speeds on conventional folding and gluing equipment. While collapsible paperboard spools or reels have hitherto been proposed, they have generally involved a multiplicity of hand operations in their as sembly and erection. As opposed to this, the spools of the instant invention are essentially machine assembled, the spool bodies being adhesively secured together as an incident of their manufacture, so that in the hands of the user the collapsed or flat-folded structures need only be erected and the retaining flaps infolded, which may be conveniently done as an incident of the ribbon winding operation.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, I have therein illustrated a spool blank comprising an essentially circular end member or disc 1, a connecting memher 2, a second end member or disc 3, and a second connecting member 4 articulated together in the order named. A first body forming part 5 is hingedly articulated to the outer side edge of connecting member 4, and a second body forming part 6 is connected to the body forming part 5 by intermediate connecting Wall 7. A similar connecting wall 8 lies on the opposite side of body forming part 6, and this Wall carries an attachment tab 9 hingedly connected to its outermost side edge. In addition, the body forming part 5 is provided with flaps 10 and 11 at its opposite ends; and similar flaps 12 and 13 are provided at the opposite ends of body forming part 6. Perferably, the end member 1 will be provided with a fiat cut-out 14 on its free side edge; and similar cut-outs will be defined on the opp0 site side of the disc 1 and at corresponding areas on the end member 3 by reason of the oflsetting of the lines of articulation 15 and 16 defining the opposite side edges of connecting members 2 and the offsetting of the line of articulation 17 defining a side edge of connecting member 4.

It will be noted that the end members 1 and 3, and the body forming parts 5 and 6 are provided with mating center openings 18a, 18b, 18c and 18d, which, when aligned, define a spindle or shaft receiving opening extending centrally through the spool.

In the assembly of the spool blank just described, the blank is adapted to be advanced in a path of travel indicated by the arrow A in FIGURE 1, whereupon it will be subjected to a series of folding and gluing operations. Preferably, adhesive areas 19 20 and 21 will be first applied to the outermost portion of end member 1, the central portion of end member 3, and the attachment tab 9, respectively, such glue areas being indicated by shading in the drawings.

As seen in FIGURE 2, the first folding step comprises the infolding of the body forming part 6 along its line of articulation to connecting wall 7, which serves to juxtapose the attachment tab 9 to the tapered portion 5a of body forming part 5. The blank is next infolded along the line of articulation between connecting member 4 and body forming part 5, thereby bringing the parts to the conditions illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the body part 6 juxtaposed to the glue area 20, thereby securing the body part 6 centrally of the end member 3. As the third and final fold, the end member 1 and connecting member 2 are infolded along the line of articulation 16, thereby juxtaposing the adhesive area 19 to the upper surface of the tapered portion a of body forming part 5. The structure is thus brought to the flat-folded condition illustrated in FIGURE 4. This structure may be readily erected simply by bringing the end members 1 and 3 into side-by-side alignment, which movement in effect serves to swing the connecting members 2 and 4 to positions perpendicular with respect to the end members. The extending pairs of flaps 10, 12, and 1 1, 13, may be infolded one over the other to provide additional ribbon supporting surfaces spaced inwardly from the peripherial edges of the end members and lying substantially at right angles to the connecting members 2 and 4. Once erected, the spool structure may be supported on a suitable spindle or shaft passing through the mating openings 18a-d, whereupon a desired length of ribbon or similar material may be wound onto the spool. It will be noted that the connecting members 2 and 4, when angularly disposed with respect to the end members 1 and 3, define additional flat cut-outs, such as the cut-out 1411 (FIGURE 4), which serve the dual function of showing the thickness of the ribbon wound on the spool and also interrupting the circumstances of the end members, thereby providing flats acting to arrest uncontrolled rolling of the spool during use.

In FIGURES 6 through 8 there is illustrated an embodiment of the invention wherein the spool is adapted to be associated with prewound ribbon, i.e. ribbon wound into a coil before association with the spool. In this instance, each of the end members or disc is composed of semi-circular end sections 22, 23 and 22a, 23a, the pairs of sections being joined together at their diameters by connecting walls 24 and 25, respectively; and the end members 23 and 23a are in turn connected by a pair of connecting members 26 and 27 having a line for severance 28 therebetween. A connecting member 29 lies at the outer extremity of end member 22, and a similar connecting member 30 extends outwardly from connecting member 22a; and it will be noted that the four connecting members are offset inwardly from the peripheral edges of the end members so as to define flats when the connecting members are displaced relative to the end members.

In the assembly of the blank structure of FIGURE 6, the blank is moved in the direction of the arrow B and adhesive is applied to the upper surface of one or both of the connecting walls 24, 25, such adhesive being indicated at 31. Thereafter the blank is infolded along the median line for severance 28, thereby juxtaposing the connecting wall 25 to the underlying connecting wall 24, with the semi-circular end members 22a, 23a overlying the end members 22, 23, respectively. The now assembled blank may be shipped to the user in the condition just described or, if desired, the connecting members 26 and -27 may be severed along their connecting line for severance 28 as an incident of the assembly operation. Otherwise the flat folded blanks will be severed along the line 28 by the user as an incident of the erection of the spool structure. In erecting the spool, the juxtaposed pairs of semi-circular end members 22, 22a and 23, 23a are folded outwardly with respect to each other until they lie in co-planar relationship, whereupon the pairs of connecting members 26, 29 and 27, 30 are folded inwardly, thereby bring the spool structure to the condition illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8. The ribbon may be then wound on the spool. However, it has been found practical to preform the ribbon into a coil and, by flattening the coil so formed, passing the ribbon about the connecting walls 24, 25 prior to the outfolding of the semi-circular end members. After the coil of ribbon is in place, the semi-circular end members can be folded outwardly to their co-planar position and the connecting members 26, -29 and 27, 30 tucked inside the coil of ribbon.

FIGURES 9 through 12 illustrate another form of spool having an end member 32, a connecting member 33, an end member 34 and a connecting member 35 in articulation in the order named, the connecting member 35 carrying a body forming assembly composed of an attachment member 36, a connecting wall 37, a second attachment member 38, a second connecting wall 39, and an attachment flap 40. Tabs 41 and 42 are articulated to the opposite ends of connecting wall 37, and similar tabs 43 and 44 are articulated to the opposite ends of connecting wall 39. In this embodiment of the invention, the end members 32 and 34 are provided with center openings 45, 45a, and a centrally disposed center opening 45b is formed in the second attachment member 38, which also receives a coating of adhesive 46 as an initial step in the assembly of the blank. Upon being moved in the direction of the arrows C shown in FIGURE 9, the blank is first infolded along the line of fold 47 connecting members 35 and 36, thereby juxtaposing the attachment member 38 centrally of end member 34 with the center openings 45a and 45b in mating relation. As an incident of this folding operation, the connecting wall 39 is reversely folded along its line of articulation to attachment member 38, such line being designated 48, thereby bringing the parts to the condition illustrated in FIGURE 10. At this juncture adhesive is applied to the exposed upper surfaces of attachment flap 40 and attachment member 36, as indicated by the shaded area in FIGURE 10, whereupon the opposite side of the blank is infolded along the line of fold 49 connecting member 33 to end member 35, thereby bringing the parts to the condition illustrated in FIGURE 11 wherein it may be seen that the end mem- \ber 32 is adhesively secured both to the attachment member 36 and the attachment flap 40. As illustrated, the attachment flap 40 is provided with a cut out 50 which mates with center opening 45 in the overlying end member.

The fiat-folded form of spool assembled from the blank just described is illustrated in FIGURE 11 and, upon erection, the parts assume the position illustrated in FIG- URE 12. It will be understood that the pairs of narrow tabs 41, 43 and 42, 44 will be infolded to form ribbon receiving supports at the ends of the connecting walls 37 and 39. As in the case of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 5, the mating openings 45' provide a center bore by means of which the spool may be mounted on a spindle or the like for the winding of ribbon thereon.

FIGURES 13 through 15 illustrate a modification of the blank shown in FIGURE 9, and for purposes of simplicity like parts have been given like reference numerals. The assembly of this form of spool is identical to that described in conjunction with the preceding embodiment; and the only material difference lies in the provision of ribbon supporting flaps 51 and 52 articulated to opposite end edges of the connecting members 33 and 35, respectively; and in the enlargement of the tabs carried by the connecting walls 37 and 39. Thus, as seen in FIGURE 13, the connecting wall 37 carries an elongated tab 53 having a plurality of spaced apart score lines 54, 54a and 54b therein; and the connecting wall 39 is provided with a similar elongated tab 55 having score lines 56, 56a and 56b therein. The remaining tabs 57 and 58 are also also somewhat elongated.

When the blank of FIGURE 13 is assembled and erected, the ribbon supporting flaps and tabs are infolded to form something in the nature of a ribbon supporting core, as will be evident from FIGURES l4 and 15.

FIGURE 16 illustrates yet another modification of the blank structure incorporating a somewhat more complicated arrangement of body or core forming parts. Since the end members and connecting members are identical to those illustrated in FIGURE 13, like reference numerals have been utilized. In this embodiment, however, the connecting member 35 carries an attachment panel 60 having a center portion 61 which flares outwardly at its far end and has a connecting Wall 62 articulated thereto, the connecting wall having an attachment flap 63 articulated to its outermost side edge. The attachment panel 60 is also provided with shoulders 64 and 65 to which connecting panels 66 and 67 are articulated. Attachment tabs 68 and 69 are in turn connected to the connecting panels 66 and 67. The connecting panel 66 carries an elongated core forming tab 70, and a similar tab 71 is carried on the end of connecting wall 62 opposite the said connecting panel '66. Core tabs 72 and 73 are carried on the ends of connecting panel 67 and connecting wall 62, respectively. In this embodiment, the blank is moved in the direction of the arrow D and adhesive is first applied to the attachment flap 63 and to the attachment tabs 68 and 69, whereupon the blank is infolded along the score line 74 connecting the member 36 to the attachment panel 60, thereby bringing the blank to the condition illustrated in FIGURE 17. Either at this juncture or at the time the adhesive is applied to the attachmenut flap :63 and the attachment tabs '68 and 69, an adhesive area 75 is [applied to the outermost side of end member 32, whereupon the blank is infolded along the score line 76 connecting member 33 to end member 34, thereby juxtaposing the adhesive area 75 to the underlying portions of attachment panel 60. When this form of spool is erected, the attachment flap 63 and the attachment tabs 68 and 69 will be adhered to the end member 34, whereas the attachment panel 60 would be adhered to end member 32 in the area of the adhesive 75; and the connecting wall 62 and the connecting panels 66 and 67 will extend between the two end members. As in the preceding embodiment, the flaps 51 and 52-, and the core forming tabs 70, 71, 72 and "73 will fold inwardly to form supporting surfaces on which the ribbon is wrapped.

FIGURES 19 through 21 illustrate yet another embodiment of the invention wherein end members 77 and 78 are joined by an intermediate connecting member 79, and a second connecting member 80 carries an attachment panel 81, a connecting wall 82 and a second attachment panel 83, the last three elements having an elongated slot 84 therein which coacts with the center,

openings 85, 85a in a manner which should now be readily understood. Elongated core forming tabs 86 and 87 are connected to opposite ends of the connecting members 79 and 80, respectively.

As in the case of the other embodiments, the blank is first moved in the direction of the arrow B, adhesive is applied to the outlying attachment panel 83, whereupon the blank is infolded along the score line '88, thereby juxtaposing the panel '83 to the end member 87 with one end of the elongated slot 84 in registry with the opem'ng 85a. Thereafter, the blank is infolded along the score line 89 connecting the member 79 to end member 78, thereby juxtaposing the outermost half of end member 77 to attachment panel 81 to which adhesive will have been previously applied, as indicated by the shaded area in FIGURE 20. This movement serves to juxtapose the opening 85 to the opposite end of the elongated slot :84, the flat-folded structure being illustrated in FIGURE 24. Its mode of erection will be somewhat similar to spools of the preceding embodiments; and it should now be evident that the elongated tabs 86 and 87 will be folded within the confines of the end members to form a supporting core for the ribbon.

While a number of embodiments of the invention have already been described, additional variations will undoubtedly occur to the skilled worker in the art upon reading the specifications; and consequently it is not intended that the invention be limited excepting the manner set forth in the claims which follow. It will be understood, for example, that the dimensioning of the parts may be varied, and whereas the spools illustrated are relatively narrow, the connecting walls spanning the end members could be appreciably widened to accommodate wider ribbons and the like.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a knock-down spool structure formed from a one-piece paperboard blank, an opposing pair of generally circular end members lying in spaced apart generally parallel relation, at least one connecting wall extending between said end members centrally thereof with its opposite side edges hingedly connected to said opposing end members, said connecting well being of a length less than the diameter of said circular end members so that its opposite end edges will be displaced inwardly from the peripheries of said end members, a pair of connecting members extending between and hingedly secured to said end members along hinge lines paralleling the hinge lines of said connecting wall, with said connecting members lying on opposite sides of said connecting wall in parallel relation thereto and spaced outwardly therefrom, said connecting members being of substantially shorter length than said connecting wall and positioned so as to lie inwardly from the generally circular outline of said end members by amounts substantially equal to the inward displacement of the end edges of said connecting wall, whereby said connecting members and the end edges of said connecting wall define 1a supporting core for strand material wound on said spool, said core being characterized by at least one area of strand support in each quadrant thereof.

2. The spool structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said end members are joined together centrally thereof by a pair of connecting walls, wherein said connecting walls extend in parallel relation and lie on opposite sides of the center line of said end members, and wherein said end members have centrally disposed mating openings therein lying between said pair of connecting walls.

3. The spool structure claimed in claim 2 wherein foldable tab members are hingedly connected to the end edges of said connecting walls, said tab members being infolded to provide additional areas of contact for strand material wound on said core.

4. The spool structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said end members are joined together centrally thereof by a pair of connecting walls, wherein said connecting walls are secured together in face-to-face relation, and wherein said end members are each composed of a pair of generally semi-circular parts having their base edges hingedly articulated to the adjacent side edges of said pair of connecting walls.

5. The spool structure claimed in claim 1 wherein a single connecting wall extends between said end members along a center line of each end member, wherein said end members each have a centrally disposed mating opening therein, and wherein said connecting wall has a cut-out portion therein in alignment with said openings, whereby a spindle or the like may be passed through said openings to support said spool.

6. The spool structure claimed in claim 5 wherein elongated tabs are hingedly connected to at least one end of each of said connecting members, said elongated tabs being infolded so as to provide additional supporting surfaces for strand material wound on said spool.

7. In a blank or a one-piece collapsible spool structure, a first end member, a first connecting member, a second end member, and a second connecting member in articulation in the order named, a first attachment panel hingedly articulated to the free side edge of said second connecting member, a first connecting wall, a second attachment panel, a second connecting wall and an attachment flap hingedly connected in the order named to the remaining side edge of said first attachment panel, centrally disposed mating openings in said end members and in said second attachment panel, said blank being folded to provide a fiat-folded spool structure in which said first attachment panel and said attachment flap are adhesively secured to said first end member, in which said connecting walls extend between said end members in parallel relation to said connecting members, and in which said second attachment panel is adhesively secured to said second end member with the opening therein coinciding with the mating opening in said end member.

8. The structure claimed in claim 7 including tabs hingedly connected to the end edges of said connecting walls, said tabs being adapted to be infolded to form supporting surfaces for strand material wound on said spool.

9. The spool structure claimed in claim 8 including additional tabs hingedly connected to the end edges of said connecting members.

10. The structure claimed in claim 9 wherein some at least of said tabs are elongated and are transversely scored to provide a plurality of relatively foldable sections.

11. The structure claimed in claim 10 wherein the lines of articulation connecting said end members and said connecting members are offset inwardly with respect to the peripheries of said end members, whereby to interrupt the curved edges of said end members when said connecting members are displaced from the planes thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 811,898 Billstein Feb. 6, 1906 1,052,303 Aven Feb. 4, 1913 2,369,958 Fox Feb. 20, 1945 2,559,056 Weiss July 3, l95l 2,852,206 Bolding Sept. 16, 1958 

1. IN A KNOCK-DOWN SPOOL STRUCTURE FORMED FROM A ONE-PIECE PAPERBOARD BLANK, AN OPPOSING PAIR OF GENERALLY CIRCULAR END MEMBERS LYING IN SPACED APART GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION, AT LEAST ONE CONNECTING WALL EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID END MEMBERS CENTRALLY THEREOF WITH ITS OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID OPPOSING END MEMBERS, SAID CONNECTING WALL BEING OF A LENGTH LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCULAR END MEMBERS SO THAT ITS OPPOSITE END EDGES WILL BE DISPLACED INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID END MEMBERS, A PAIR OF CONNECTING MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN AND HINGEDLY SECURED TO SAID END MEMBERS ALONG HINGE LINES PARALLELING THE HINGE LINES OF SAID CONNECTING WALL, WITH SAID CONNECT- 